The design and development of consumer and other products is conducted on increasingly short timelines. At the same time these products are increasingly complex and customized for different markets and users. For example, some athletic shoes are customized for different geographic markets in different color combinations. Shoe manufacturers build numerous prototype shoes in the different color combination for each market and provide the appropriate prototype to potential retail vendors in each market. The retail vendors comment on the color combination and the manufacturer and vendors may modify and make new prototypes before a final color combination is chosen for a particular market. This iterative approach relies on making and distributing physical prototypes and is both costly and time consuming. The problem is exacerbated if there are several potential retail vendors participating in the design of a product for a particular market. Even where a vendor does not participate in the actual design of products, the vendor may wish to see a sample of the product before the vendor will agree to sell it. The cost of making numerous customized prototypes can be high.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system that allows information about new products to be delivered to potential retail vendors and other potential purchasers of the products. In addition, there is a need for a system that improves the ability of manufacturers and product vendors and others to collaboratively design or develop a product.
Consumers often wish to obtain information about a product prior to, during and after purchasing a product. Consumers may need this information to make an informed purchasing decision. Many consumer and other products are sold with instructions for the assembly or use of the product. In many cases, a consumer may require additional information to complete the assembly of the product or to use the product. In addition, a product supplier (or manufacturer) may find it necessary or desirable to revise the information included with a product or to supplement this information with additional instructions. Some suppliers provide an automated information service (typically on a website) that allows a consumer to download such additional information. Such a system allows a consumer to obtain only limited and pre-determined or pre-recorded information. In other cases, a supplier may provide a help desk service allowing consumers to contact a help desk attendant, who can speak to the consumer to help them with a product assembly or use problem. Such a system is deficient in that it provides only for spoken communication between the consumer and the attendant. There is a need for an improved system for providing information to consumers.